Month: January 2018

I was leading a retreat a few weeks ago, and on Sunday morning, I was looking out the window and saw these geese walking on the icy surface of the pond.  Of course, I wanted to capture the image, so a raced out with my camera and snapped this photo just before they jumped into the safety of the water.  I don’t know about you, but I often wonder, after I’ve seen something like the geese on the ice, what does God want me to see in it.  Since I believe, as did St. Ignatius, that we can “find God in all things,” there’s always something to discern.

Sometimes, it might be that God wants us to be more aware of the gift of sight, or maybe God just wants to gift us with a funny image, a metaphor for something in our life.  As I watched the geese try to maneuver around the slick surface, I thought about areas of my life which I don’t seem to have the best control over.  Do I try to take care of everything myself, leaving my actions to instinct or self deception?  Am I worried about falling into situations where I may sink, and thus avoiding the risk of going where God wants me to?

As I type these words, a line from Matthew’s Gospel came to mind.  “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value then they?” (Matthew 6:26)  Yes, friends, we are valuable in God’s eyes.  More than we could ever know.  Sometimes, we have to step off in faith, trusting that God will bring us safely to where we need to go.  God doesn’t want us to be reckless, however, but discerning, always discerning His good and holy will for us.

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Many people begin the New Year with a diet in mind.  Does that sound familiar?  Right now, diet books are flying off the shelves, and you might not be able to find a parking space at your gym.  We start with the best intentions, and as I wrote recently, 40% of people actually stick with it.  My hat is off to them.  How about you?

I want to recommend a couple of healthy eating books to help you make some diet changes.  I’ve used each of them at one time or another, and have had some great success.  As you may know from following this blog, I believe no one diet can work for everyone, and you have to find what will work for you.  In addition to that, I believe that we will always be more successful if we change our diet and exercise habits so that we can do more for God.

Let’s face it, that’s a great motivation, isn’t it?  It’s what St. Ignatius had in mind when he spelled out his First Principle and  Foundation.  In everything we do, our goal should be the ability to do more for God.  If we get healthy and lose some weight, great.  But our goal was choosing that which best leads to God.

Here are three books to check out in 2018.

The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren, D.Min.,  Daniel Amen, MD, and Mark Hyman, MD

Eat for Health by Joel Fuhrman, MD

Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes by Neal Barnard, MD

I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me  (Philippians 4:13)

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Well, here we are.  2018 has arrived, and I don’t know about you, but I’m filled with expectation that this year is going to be a good one, maybe even great.  Have you thought of any resolutions you would like to make? I’m still deciding, but you can be sure achieving overall better health is high on my list.  This year, I will have help from a great doctor who is a diabetes specialist.  I’m lucky to have found him, and that he takes my insurance.  I had to wait six months to see him for the first time, but it was worth the wait.  He gave me some terrific insights and I’ve made some good strides.  Last year, I also joined a walking club, got a fitbit, and began cooking healthy meals on a regular basis.  So, I guess I could say that I want to continue all those things, but I also know that I still have a lot of work to do.

For those of you who make resolutions and then give them up quickly, I want to share something I heard the other day.  We all know that many, many people begin the year with the best of intentions and some needed resolutions, but they give up quickly and fall back into the same old patterns.  As I was listening to a radio show last week, I heard that about 44% of resolutions are kept until the person is successful in achieving their goal.  When 2018 comes to an end next December, I want to be part of that group.  How about you?  What kinds of things would you need to do to make that happen?  Let’s use this first week of 2018 to create a plan.  Are you up for the challenge?

May God bless you and yours in this New Year.

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